Who are we Really?

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WHO ARE WE REALLY?

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ContentsHazem Ktit Becki Richings Will Hilton Jordan Koehl

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Hazem

Ktit

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“ The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams” ELEANOR ROOSELVELT

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Name, Age and hometown?

Hazem Ktit, 20 years old and I was born in Ammon, Sordon but I’m British.

What course are you studying?

BSC geography

Ok what influenced you to take Geography?

I had a very inspiration teacher for my GCSE who made the lessons fun and was very sup-portive of my work.

What made you decide on the university of Gloucester as your university?

After looking at some universities I felt that this particular one fulfilled my needs for studying at a higher education, with the city centre being so close, good sport facilities around the town and the university is not to large or to small, the university is a comfort-able place to live. Also because it is a fairly new university it has the desire to be better and that shall influence my work ethic.

How are you finding the course? Is it everything you expected?

The course itself is great, however it wasn’t what I expected at all. Some modules seem rather unnecessary and the first year is basically a throw away year. Another thing would be that the lecturers upload their les-sons online, which is great but it gives people incentive to miss the lessons. However the lectures are fun and supportive and group work is much easier than expected.

What did you do before coming to university?

I was employed by my father to work at one of his takeaway locations in Swansea. With 5 shifts a week from 9pm to 5am it was a tough year. I only earned enough for a party lifestyle not very beneficial but a hell of a lot of fun.

Do you have any particular faith?

My father is a Muslim so my brother and me were born into Islam, and I have tried my best to follow that particular religion but I wasn’t convinced. As I got older the world changed and religion is becoming less and less believable, it seems to be a more on good Morales and a guideline as to how to live your life. Not to say religion doesn’t have it’s place but some of the worse crimes in history have all been committed in the name of their faith, and that dampens my enthusiasm of blind faith.

How are you finding Cheltenham town?

Cheltenham is a beautiful town, it has a rich and varied history and some of the architecture is simply stunning. The council also plays an active role in protecting these valuable buildings so they are always in good condition. The nightlife itself is rather fun since there is something for everyone, ranging from nightclubs to pubs. However the nightclubs are not clustered together like in Swansea on Wind Street, so travelling to different clubs is a bit of a nightmare but it is fun.

Introduction

This person is not your traditionl alpha male from a strict muslim family, he is a keen activist, conceal-ing a startling intelligence he will forever be One of the Lads. Ladies and Gentlemen I give you Hazem.

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So what precisely got you into your course?

I got into geography because I am very interested in the physical, social and economic aspect of it and I really like lava. One day I am determined to play with lava even if it kills me.

What do you think of the increased student fees?

It is terrible when the fees are increased, even if paying it back is easier the student will be in debt for a long, long time. This is not including the overdraft and credit card fees, this country has been built up on debt for the last 30 years and now it is costing the taxpayer dearly.

How do you find the global situation at the moment?

One of the global situations at the moment that is really getting to me is the ille-gal wrong-doings of Israel in the Middle East, they are breaking international law by stealing land from the Palestine’s and demolishing there homes to build brand new housing for themselves. This is simply because Palestine is seen as the holy land for Sudan’s yet no one in the west is willing to do anything but talk about it. Actions speak louder than words.

What should they do in your opinion?

Well if the UN did what it was supposed to do then the problem would be solved. At the moment it seems to be taking a laid back policy when problems get out of hand, so rather than getting actively involved they just seem to be content to wait it out while people suffer. I don’t need to tell you that that type of policy is against what the UN was created for.

What do you think of the protest marches in our own country?

Well on of the protest marches started out because, they wanted to complain about a policeman shooting a respected member of the community. However this type of thing always attracts the “wrong” ones who are just there for the thrills and loot. Unfortunately the police reaction was ter-rible and it quickly escalated into a pointless riot. It started with the right intentions but failed to hold its integrity.

As a country what do you think our government should be doing?

They should stop making cuts that are ef-fect the associations that are bridging the relations between, the communities and the government. So now the communities feel left out and damaged by cuts, even if they are necessary it’s a result of the Labour government’s excessive but pointless spending and the abuse by its MP’s. So the new Government should try and be different from them and make lives better not worse.

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“ There’s kids out there playing Checkers when im playing Chess” KOBE BRYANT

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Bec

ki R

ichi

ngs

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Name age and where you’re from?

Rebecca Louise Richings, 19 and from I am from Bristol


I am currently studying Graphic design

Any major influences you want to mention?

I tend to be greatly influence by the 18th century history (naval)

So what made you decide on the university of Gloucester?

When compared to other universities the atmosphere was much more to my liking.

How are you finding the course? Is it what you expected? Likes? Dislikes?

The course is okay and I am looking forward to learning new skills, at first I was worried I had chosen the wrong course and perhaps should of chosen an English course. But I’m certain now that design is the right thing for me at this time.

What did you do before coming to university if anything?

Before coming to university I did 6th form at my old school and Art foundation for the course. It was rather interesting but limited on the choices of mediums to express our work. Which is why I became attracted to Graphic Design, there are so many choices to choose from.

Do you hold a particular faith? If yes why? If not why?

I personally don’t believe in God and I feel that religion is an old way of controlling those masses to get what you want. However I respect people who have faith and I would never hold their religion against them.

What do you think of Cheltenham town?

Cheltenham is an interesting town…….

So what got you into the course your studying?

I was greatly influenced by some of the Fine Art I saw before University and one in par-ticular was a copy of Jules Verne’s “Around the world in 80 day’s” which has been subjected to abuse by numerous craft knives.

What do you think of the student fees? Is it worth it?

In terms to whether the new student fees are worth it, I am not to sure since my opinion on this varies day to day. Some days I believe that it is worth the money and others I don’t, having said that I firmly think that the increase in student fees is definitely unfair.

Anything happening globally you feel strongly about?

Unfortunately my awareness of the world has gone out of the window since I started university, I have had two dead laptops and no TV since starting university.

Introduction

This person is a quiet girl, very behind the scences and content to watch what happens. Despite that she still develops strong opinions and if you can get her to say them then you will be in for a suprise.

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“ Art is what you can get away with” RL RICHINGS

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“ The rest is silence” RL RICHINGS

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“ The rest is silence” RL RICHINGS

What is your opinion on the whole protest concept? Is it pointless?

In order for a protest to work I believe that it must be carefully organised so that no illegal activity can happen, or at least no vandalism, violence and looting. It most certainly is not pointless since it is a valid and powerful way for people to express their views.

Now what do you think our government should be doing?

Give us back our Democracy!

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Will H

ilton

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Will Hilton, 26, Milton Keynes


Photojournalism & Documentary Photography

Ok what influenced you to take Photojournalism?

A photographer called Zoriah Miller, he is a photojournalist that specialises in conflict and humanitarian issues. I knew for a while that my life needed a change in direction and I stumbled across his website by mistake. His images were so powerful I instantly decided that was what I wanted to do with my life.


University was never the only option for me and I considered lots of possibilities before I made the commitment. I looked at a few universities that offered the course I wanted to study, but Gloucestershire seemed to have the most open minded, with a large emphasis on developing your own creative freedom, this was something that appealed to me greatly also Gloucestershire actually was the only university I applied for.

How you finding the course? Is it everything you expected?

It’s slow. Having worked in a fast paced busi-ness environment for the last 6 years the learning is not quite condensed as I hoped it would be, however the course itself has all the attributes that made me choose it in the first place, which is a positive.

What did you do before coming to university?

Before university I was in the Royal Marines for 2 years but was forced to leave early due to an injury, I then spent 8 years in Business working as a consultant for a large financial institution helping them deliver projects and change for the organisation. My recent project was a major platform migration that took three years to plan and implement and finally costing around £20 Million.


I believe in ideas and an open mind, this way you can embrace all the beauties life has to offer without creating argument or conflict.


Cheltenham is a nice place to live. For a relatively small town It has a lot going on, great nightlife, and a good cultural aspect. For a town with a relatively posh reputation it definitely has a more gritty side, but to be honest I have always felt more at home in those kind of places

Introduction

This is one of the people that has done it all, fought for his country and even ran a successful business project. already he has lead a full life and he’s just about to get started.

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“ Prisons are where Devils learn to pray. Everytime we turn the key we twist the knife of fate, because ev-erytime we cage a man we cage him with hate” GREGORY DAVID ROBERTS

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I think like anything it has positives and negatives. Having been here for a few months now I can already see that there are people that do not deserve to be here and are putting in very little effort, the hike in fees could in future make these type of people seriously question whether University is the right path for them. On the flip side it creates an industry where universities are run like businesses, this has the potential to change the whole dynamic of teaching and in turn could have a negative impact on quality.

What do you think of the global situation at the moment?

This is a very expansive question and one I think is extremely difficult to answer in a short interview. But if I had to some it up in a few words my view would probably be this: there is an old philosophy that the world and everything in it always eventually steers toward chaos, and it definitely feels like this is the way it is going at the moment.


I think protesting is a democratic right and it can give the masses a voice where they would not normally have one, often having a lot of political influence (Egypt being a prime example recently). I do however think that protesters have a responsibility to be peace-ful and be respectful to other people and their culture


If the country is run like a business and the government is the board of executives, then the people the workers and therefore expendable. I would like to see the country run more like a public service rather than a profit based organisation.

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“ Nations neglect no men more shamefully than the hero’s of their wars”

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Jord

an K

oeh

l

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Jordan, Killian, Koehl and I’m from Paris in France


I am studying Photojournalism the same as Will Hilton we are course buddies.

Ok what influenced you to take Photojournalism?

I have been taking pictures for 5 years now, and unfortunately I have never really enjoyed studying in school except for writing. So in my spare time all I took was photos and I realised the freedom of it, it was something I realised I would always be curious about. If I ever got bored it would be easy to travel around the world and meet people and just record my memories. One of my favourite things to do is to just walk, walk to a destination nowhere and a camera is always a good companion.


Well to be perfectly honest I wish I had taken my university applications more seriously, I actually applied 24 hours before the final deadline. However I definitely knew I wanted to go to the U.K. to get away from my parents and to follow my friends who also went to the U.K. Going from Paris to Cheltenham was very hard on me I would happily transfer to Bristol simply because the Airport is there, which would make travel much more easier for me and my family.

How you finding the course? Is it everything you expected?

I am actually enjoying the course, it is nice to only need to go in 3 days a week and have the other 4 off to travel to interesting locations. This is what I want my life to be like and go to new and interesting locations to find out about them and hopefully myself in the process. The course teachers also play a big part in the course they are friendly and helpful and it is always clear what we have to do.

What did you do before coming to univer-sity?

I was a High School student or should I say University student, in France they call the last years of education “Lycée” where they teach the American lan-guage rather than the English one. I was actually raised by my American mother and French father so the language switch never bothered me since I have been speaking it since birth and that was another reason why I wanted to go to the U.K.


I myself do not have a particular faith however I believe that everybody should try to do what they enjoy, and try to forget all the Bullshit created by our countries.


I really don’t like Cheltenham I feel it’s to small and not cultural enough for my taste, but I think I’m fairly biased since I came from a fairly metropolitan city.

Introduction

This person has an extremely diverse background, a product of two different world’s, despite that this is a guy comfortable in his own skin. He knows who he is and knows what he wants from it, don’t let the sleepy look fool you.

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“Excuse me while i light my spliff, Good God I gotta take a lift, From reality I just can’t drift, Thant’s why i’m staying with this riff”BOB MARLEY

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How did you get into your course?

Sexual desire got me in, (laughter) nah I sent some choice photos and they liked what they saw so they offered me a place which was lucky for me.


Its pretty bad to be honest and I feel it is even worse for international students since the currency is different, and at the moment France is still cheaper on it’s University fees. But that varies on what you want to study if you wanted to do business it could be up to £10,000 a year however others can be as little as 10 euros per admission.

What do you think of the global situation at the moment?

The global situation as a whole is so diverse at the moment and I am in no position to offer comments, however I can say that I am not a fan of our capitalist society although I enjoy the perks. Such as the technology for digital cameras and the like.


I support them as long as they don’t get violent…. But if I had my camera and if they weren’t being violent towards me then i’ll have to say I would quite enjoy it.


Again with this question I don’t feel like I am in a position to answer this, however it would be nice if our world was without disease and food was free, idealistic I know.

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“When i was a kid I inhaled frequently. that was the point”BARACK OBAMA

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Hand crafted and produced by Cal Caldwell

Special thanks toJordanHazemBeckiWill

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By Cal Caldwell

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Who are we Really?